Afghanistan

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether representations were made to the Government of Afghanistan about the number of women in their official delegation to the London conference on 28 January 2010.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The composition of the Afghan delegation to the London conference on Afghanistan was a matter for the Afghan Government. The Afghan Government ensured that all relevant Ministers were in attendance. The spokesperson for the Afghan Women's Network gave a presentation on behalf of Afghan women to the London conference and circulated a Written Statement on this to all conference participants. A delegation of Afghan female leaders were also involved in a series of events in the run up to the conference. They took part in a civil society conference where they made statements, and questioned and lobbied FCO Ministers.
	Members of the delegation also attended a reception on the eve of the conference, where they used the opportunity to lobby President Karzai, Hillary Clinton and other Foreign Ministers. The UK regularly discusses women's rights with members of the Afghan Government, NGOs and parliamentarians and continues to urge the Afghan Government to uphold the Afghan constitution, which demands equal treatment of men and women.

Afghanistan

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government (a) what discussions have taken place with the Government of Afghanistan on the representation of women, and (b) how they will support the participation of women in jirgas considering the future of Afghanistan.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The UK regularly discusses women's rights and the role of women in decision-making with members of the Afghan Government, non-government organisations (NGOs) and parliamentarians. As my right honourable friend the Prime Minister has said, it is vital that we promote women's rights at all times when discussing the future of Afghanistan.
	To encourage the Afghan Government to promote women's equal participation in governance and to build awareness of women's rights among civil society and policy makers the UK is funding several programmes in Afghanistan. This includes funding of £200,000 to support the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission; £737,000 to the UN Development Fund for Women's Elimination of Violence against Women Special Fund; and £500,000 to a five-year women's empowerment programme implemented by the NGO Womankind. The UK is committed to gender equality and fully supports implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 to protect the rights of women and girls in areas suffering conflict and to incorporate their perspectives in conflict resolution and peacekeeping planning.

Agriculture: Maps

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 5 January (WA 2), what proportion of errors occurring during the update processes were due to map features being notified incorrectly by farmers; and what proportion were due to digitising errors.

Lord Davies of Oldham: As part of the mapping update, 50,183 farmers have asked for changes to the mapping data originally sent to them. To date 25,529 farmers have received a map confirming the change, of which 426 farmers (1.7 per cent) have contacted the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) to make further mapping changes. Of these changes, 259 (29.2 per cent) were due to farmers making additional requests and 627 (70.8 per cent) were due to digitising errors or the RPA misinterpreting the original request (a farmer may have notified us of more than one change).

Airports: Body Scanners

Lord Sheikh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they will put in place to ensure that the use of anti-terrorism body scanners does not compromise civil liberties.

Lord Adonis: I refer the noble Lord to my Answers of Tuesday 2 March 2010 (Official Report, cols. WA 335-336) in which I explained that an interim code of practice has been produced for the initial deployment of body scanners and is available via the DfT website.
	The Department for Transport will be launching a full public consultation shortly on the interim code of practice and will consider all representations carefully before preparing a final code of practice later in the year.

Animal Welfare: African Horse Sickness

Lord Dear: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop a vaccine for African horse sickness; and on what timescale.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Vaccines for African Horse Sickness (AHS) are available, but are not currently authorised by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate for use in the UK. The vaccines contain the live virus, with the risk that they could cause an outbreak of disease itself if used in Europe. The chief veterinary officer may, however, permit the use of an unauthorised vaccine in an emergency.
	Defra is currently considering funding new research for the development of novel sub-unit vaccines for AHS. This will be the first step in identifying effective "killed" vaccines which can then be taken forward to the market by the pharmaceutical market as appropriate.

Animal Welfare: African Horse Sickness

Lord Dear: To ask Her Majesty's Government why compensation proposals in the current consultation on African horse sickness would cap compensation payable for a horse which was slaughtered, but which was subsequently shown to be disease-free, at £2,500 even where the value of the animal is greater.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Defra has worked with various equine sector stakeholder groups to quantify the maximum compensation value. The policy to cap the maximum payment to £2,500 for disease-free animals is proportionate and fair to the horse owner, and does not place an unfair burden on the taxpayer. There is an overriding consideration of protecting public expenditure in an outbreak situation and also of protecting against the problems associated in attempting to accurately place a market value on a high-value horse immediately before it was killed.

British Council: Air Travel

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many British Council representatives used air travel in the past year; and which countries they visited.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The information requested is not held centrally by the British Council and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the views of the British Indian Ocean Territory's scientific adviser, Professor Charles Sheppard, with regard to the creation of a no-take marine protected area in the British Indian Ocean Territory exclusive economic zone, in particular that "the social dimension may still need a solution, but the science is pretty clear-the ocean needs Chagos as it is".

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The purpose of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office public consultation into whether to create a marine protected area (MPA) in the British Indian Ocean Territory is to help the Government assess whether a marine protected area is the right option for the future environmental protection of the British Indian Ocean Territory. We welcome all views, including those of Professor Charles Sheppard, and continue to encourage those with an interest to respond to the consultation before the deadline of 5 March.
	All responses to the consultation will be included in a summary of responses and report which will be prepared by the consultation facilitator. A decision on whether to create some kind of MPA in the territory will be taken once the consultation is over, the report on all responses written and the way ahead decided upon after consideration of the report.

Carbon Emissions

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the British Council intends to join the 10:10 campaign to cut carbon emissions by 10 per cent in 2010.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The British Council intends to join the 10:10 campaign to cut carbon emissions for its UK operations. It is examining the possibility of its overseas operations joining the campaign.

Crime: Proceeds of Crime

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government when guidance will be issued to magistrates' courts about the confiscation of the proceeds of crime, as discussed during the passage of the Policing and Crime Act 2009, with the objective of making efficient use of police time.

Lord West of Spithead: It is the Home Office's intention to lay before Parliament the order which makes provision for magistrates' courts to make confiscation orders by December this year at the latest. The detail of the order is still under development with the Ministry of Justice and HM Court Service closely involved. As work develops, we will consider the need to issue guidance to the courts before the provisions in the order are commenced.

Crown Prosecution Service

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has implemented all the recommendations from the Denman report which found extensive racial discrimination pervasive in the CPS.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The CPS has implemented all the recommendations from the Denman report. In particular, employment policies and practices have been reviewed following qualitative feedback from staff and quantitative evidence gathered from monitoring the implementation of a raft of employment policies and practices.
	The CPS continues to look for ways to further promote equality in employment and service delivery.

Crown Prosecution Service

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any investigations are being conducted within, or into, the Crown Prosecution Service about allegations of race and sex discrimination, harassment, bullying and victimisation; how these are being conducted; and when they are likely to be concluded.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: There are three investigations currently ongoing into allegations of race or sex discrimination in relation to harassment, bullying or victimisation. The duration of any investigations depends on the circumstances of the case. Investigations are concluded as efficiently as possible.

Crown Prosecution Service

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many grievances by staff in the Crown Prosecution Service have been lodged in the past year alleging race and sex discrimination, harassment, bullying and victimisation.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Since February 2009, there have been 26 grievances alleging race or sex discrimination, harassment, bullying or victimisation.

Crown Prosecution Service

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many disciplinary cases have been instituted by the Crown Prosecution Service in the past year against staff who have lodged grievances about their treatment by management or other colleagues in the organisation.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Two disciplinary cases have been instituted by the Crown Prosecution Service in the past year against staff who have lodged grievances about their treatment by management or other colleagues within the organisation.

Crown Prosecution Service

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the Crown Prosecution Service's performance with regard to equality, diversity and its equality public duty; and whether they will direct the Equality and Human Rights Commission to conduct a formal investigation into the organisation.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: I am satisfied with the nature and extent of progress being made by the CPS in fulfilling its public equality duty.
	There has been progress in relation to employment. As of 31 October 2009 representation at the Senior Civil Service grades within the CPS exceeded all current Cabinet Office workforce targets: 38.9 per cent of the SCS are women against a target of 37.5 per cent; 13.3 per cent of the SCS are from black and minority ethnic backgrounds against a target of 12.8 per cent; and 7.8 per cent of SCS staff were disabled against a target of 6 per cent. Overall, conviction rates for hate crime rose from 74 per cent in 2005-06 to 82 per cent in 2008-09.
	The CPS has also established a National Community Accountability Forum and 11 local community involvement panels, which are standing consultative groups consisting of community representatives that help the CPS to deliver a more effective, transparent and responsive criminal justice system for victims and the public.
	The CPS has been commended in relation to employment and equality by Her Majesty's CPS Inspectorate in November 2006, (Equalities Driving Justice). A final report by the Commission for Racial Equality in 2007 also commended the work of the CPS in relation to employment (A lot done: A lot to do, September 2007). A Cabinet Office capability review in July 2007 commended the CPS's overall work on equality and diversity.
	I have no plans to seek a formal investigation into the CPS by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Cycling

Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 22 February (WA 209), how the effectiveness of issuing fixed penalty notices for cycling offences is assessed in the absence of statistics on the number of those penalties left unpaid and unenforced.

Lord West of Spithead: Any significant practical experience of problems with the use of fixed penalties to assist in the enforcement of cycling offences will be reported to the Fixed Penalty Procedures Working Group by its operational members.
	The payment rate for all fixed penalty notices in the latest year for which figures are available was almost 90 per cent. We have no reason to believe that the payment rate in respect of notices issued for cycling offences is out of line with this. If a fixed penalty is not paid within 28 days, it is increased by 50 per cent and registered with a court as a fine; the court will then use its fine enforcement powers to ensure payment.

Debt: Rural Areas

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to increase the proportion of credit unions operating in rural areas; and, if so, what will be done to attain (a) 20 per cent and (b) 25 per cent.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Government attach importance to increasing access to financial services in rural areas, including supporting credit unions in those areas.
	The £100 million DWP-administered growth fund has already supported credit unions in the predominantly rural counties of Cumbria, Shropshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Hampshire, Kent and Norfolk and across large parts of Scotland and Wales. We are doing the same now in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, North Yorkshire and Northumberland.
	In addition, the Commission for Rural Communities hosts the Government's financial inclusion champion's team for rural affairs, working in partnership with DWP to promote the development of credit unions in rural areas.
	The CRC report Rural Money Matters-published on 1 July 2009-identified the extent of financial exclusion across rural England at that time, and showcased projects that have successfully addressed the issues for local authorities and their strategic partners to learn from. A copy of the report is available from both Libraries of the House.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Triesman on 12 December 2007 (WA 58), how the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority have considered Dr Thomas Okarma's finding that the medical potential of reprogrammed stem cells has been exaggerated, as reported in The Times on 17 February; whether it would be possible to have patient-specific cells for treatment; and what the implications are for the original aims of research licence R0152.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 20 May 2009 (WA-318), whether it is still an integral requirement that a licence committee of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) should refuse a research licence application if the proposed research is not necessary or desirable for one of the prescribed purposes and that the use of an embryo is not necessary; how the HFEA have monitored developments with induced pluripotent stem cells; when the HFEA last considered an application to renew research licence R0152; and whether the HFEA considered that the use of an embryo was no longer necessary or desirable in achieving the original aims of research licence R0152; and, if not, why not.

Baroness Thornton: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that its Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee (SCAAC) most recently considered research involving the derivation of embryonic or "embryonic like" stem cells on 8 September 2009. The SCAAC papers are available on the HFEA's website at www.hfea.gov.uk/1127.html.
	With regard to the protocols followed by the HFEA's Research Licence Committee, the authority has also advised that it has nothing to add to the information in my Written Answer of 9 November 2009 (Official Report, col. WA 110-111). The information sought regarding Research Licence Committee decisions is available on the HFEA's website at www.hfea.gov.uk/180.html.

Embryology

Viscount Craigavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to increase their support for human embryonic stem cell research in light of the recent scientific evidence that induced pluripotent stem cell lines do not differentiate as efficiently or faithfully.

Baroness Thornton: There are numerous technical issues to overcome for therapies derived from both embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. It remains unclear which types of stem cell will deliver the most effective treatments for patients with particular conditions. IPS cell research is still at an early stage and much remains to be understood about how to reproducibly derive iPS cells, how to grow them stably and convert them effectively to the desired type of cell. More research is needed on all types of stem cells to determine which routes should be pursued in the development of cell-based therapies.
	The Government will therefore continue to support all types of stem cell research.

Embryology

Viscount Craigavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment has been made of the efficacy of the translation from research into the practical use in individual patients of induced pluripotent stem cells.

Baroness Thornton: Although there have been numerous approaches to generate induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, there is currently no scientific consensus on the most effective, reliable and safe method. There is still considerable research needed into the efficacy and safety of iPS cells, so their clinical application in individual patients cannot take place until these issues are addressed.
	The Government continue to support all forms of stem cell research so as not to restrict the continued efforts of the United Kingdom's scientific community.

Embryology

Viscount Craigavon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their priorities for the future of stem cell research in the United Kingdom.

Baroness Thornton: The Government believe that stem cell research offers enormous potential to deliver new treatments for a diverse range of diseases. It is far too early to know where useful results will come from. Therefore Government want to see research moving forward on all types of stem cells-including adult stem cells, cord blood stem cells, foetal stem cells and embryonic stem cells.

Equine Infectious Anaemia

Lord Dear: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of equine infectious anaemia (swamp fever) to horses and other equine animals in the United Kingdom.

Lord Davies of Oldham: An updated qualitative risk assessment on equine infectious anaemia (EIA) in the EU, addressing "Potential risk factors for the introduction of the EIA virus to the United Kingdom from EU member states" has recently been produced and is available to view on the Defra website.
	The assessment states that in terms of recent epidemiological developments across the EU, we consider it likely EIA would be present at a low level in the EU populations of equidae not subject to close monitoring or testing. This would vary between EU member states.
	In terms of legal EU trade, we consider there would be a low risk of virus being introduced via trade in live equidae or through contaminated products.

Equine Infectious Anaemia

Lord Dear: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to require all those importing equine animals from Romania, Italy and other high risk areas to produce a negative Coggins test alongside the compulsory horse passports for those animals.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The EU rules on free trade in livestock place responsibility on the "exporting" member state to control diseases on its territory and to certify that any consignments for export to another member state are safe.
	In addition and in recognition of the endemic equine infectious anaemia (EIA) situation in Romania, EU legislation requires all horses from Romania to be tested for EIA pre-export.
	As a further assurance, the rules allow the importing country to carry out checks for compliance with certification, which can include a blood test, on a proportion of consignments. A requirement to test all imported horses would be a burdensome restriction on trade, would be disproportionate to the risk, and would fall foul of EU trade rules.

EU: UK Official Staff

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many United Kingdom officials in European Union institutions have studied at the College of Europe; and what assessment they have made of how the withdrawal of United Kingdom scholarships for the College of Europe will affect recruitment.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The Government do not hold statistics for how many UK officials in EU institutions have studied at the College of Europe. However the college estimate that from a total of 675 British alumni, at least 80 are currently working in EU institutions, and at least a further 80 to 100 are actively engaged on EU affairs either in Brussels or in the UK.
	The Government believe that UK nationals are under-represented in EU institutions, and are undertaking a programme of activities to resolve this, including the relaunch of the European fast stream, better co-ordination of secondments of UK officials to EU institutions, and work to identify and address issues which may deter UK nationals who are considering a career in the EU. The role of the College of Europe is included in this programme, and the Government will be restoring a number of scholarships to the College of Europe for this year, while undertaking a review of the best ways to meet the programme's objectives.

Expenditure: Office Equipment

Lord Bates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the average purchase price, excluding value added tax, of a 500-sheet ream of white A4 80 gsm photocopier paper paid by the National Policing Improvement Agency in the latest period for which figures are available; and how much it spent in total on all photocopier paper in the last year for which figures are available.

Lord West of Spithead: The average purchase price, excluding value added tax, of a 500-sheet ream of white A4 80 gsm photocopy paper paid by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) is £2.03 from June 2009 until 1 March 2010. Between February 2009 and January 2010, the NPIA spend on the stated paper has been £15,271.82.*
	* This does not include other types of paper purchased for photocopier reasons.

Expenditure: Office Equipment

Lord Bates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the average purchase price, excluding value added tax, of a 500-sheet ream of white A4 80 gsm photocopier paper paid by the Crown Prosecution Service in the latest period for which figures are available; and how much it spent in total on all photocopier paper in the last year for which figures are available.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Records supplied by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) stationery supplier (Office Depot) record expenditure of £955,631 relating to all photocopying paper supplied during 2008-09. The average price of white A4 80 gsm paper purchased during this period was £1.79 per 500 sheet ream. Eighty-seven per cent of the reams purchased contained 100 per cent recycled content in accordance with the Office of Government Commerce's quick wins target. A further 11 per cent of reams contained some recycled content.
	These records relate to items purchased via the department's national framework contract for stationery. The CPS is a devolved organisation and it is possible that additional paper has been purchased outside of this contract. To obtain this additional information would incur disproportionate cost.
	In the financial year 2008-09 Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO) paid £2.05 (excluding VAT) for 500 sheets (one ream) of white A4 80 gsm photocopier paper. This paper, brand name Evolve Everyday, is obtained from Premier Paper and is 100 per cent recycled.
	Total spending by RCPO on all photocopier paper in 2007-08 cannot at present be provided. All the relevant financial information from the RCPO database has been transferred to the CPS as a data file. There are problems in accessing the data file via the CPS network. This information will be communicated to the noble Lord as soon as possible.

Falkland Islands: Oil

Lord Burnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what benefits accrue to the United Kingdom Exchequer from oil extracted from the Falkland Islands or the waters surrounding them.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The natural resources of the Falkland Islands belong to the Falkland Islands. However, the Falkland Islands Government have previously offered to share some of any future hydrocarbons-related revenues with the Government and we will want to resume discussions on this issue should hydrocarbons be discovered in commercially viable quantities.

Fishing: Tonnage

Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government what tonnage of fish was landed in the United Kingdom by British-owned and British-registered vessels in each year since 1980; and what tonnage was discarded to comply with European Union regulations in each year since 1980.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The information requested on landings into the UK by all UK-registered vessels, be they UK or foreign owned is given below. Separating out from these total landings those that were UK-registered vessels and also UK owned is not something that is routinely done, and as such is not readily available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Year Landings into the UK by UK vessels ('000 tonnes) 
			 1980 759.1 
			 1981 745.4 
			 1982 774.6 
			 1983 748.4 
			 1984 733.7 
			 1985 762.1 
			 1986 717.7 
			 1987 790.4 
			 1988 742.0 
			 1989 714.3 
			 1990 662.2 
			 1991 651.5 
			 1992 649.0 
			 1993 678.2 
			 1994 687.6 
			 1995 725.6 
			 1996 635.9 
			 1997 593.3 
			 1998 552.5 
			 1999 506.5 
			 2000 464.7 
			 2001 458.3 
			 2002 465.6 
			 2003 451.6 
			 2004 461.5 
			 2005 491.7 
			 2006 416.5 
			 2007 439.8 
			 2008 409.4 
		
	
	Estimates of the quantities of fish discarded are obtained by UK fisheries laboratories, which send observers to sea to record fish discarded and retained by fishing vessels. Sampling of Scottish-registered vessels started in the mid-1970s and vessels registered in England and Wales have been sampled routinely since the mid-1990s. The sampling applies to vessels registered in UK ports and does not distinguish between vessels under UK ownership and those with owners of other nationalities. It is only possible to sample a proportion of the vessels participating in any fishery and provide estimates of the quantities of discards of the main commercial species, which may not be representative of all UK fisheries. Details of such estimates are provided in the tables below.
	The current system for recording catch data does not allow us to differentiate why each fish is discarded. Regulatory reasons for discarding include the fish being undersize (below minimum landing size), over-quota or where catch composition rules require that certain species must not exceed a stated proportion of landings when using particular gear types. Commercial reasons include high-grading (the discarding of legally landable fish to conserve quota for more valuable fish) or where there is no market for the fish caught. Recently, the EU introduced legislation to eliminate high-grading, and fishers must now retain all fish caught, which can be legally landed.
	We have the following estimated landings and discards by English, Welsh and Scottish vessels fishing in UK waters for the period of 2002-08:
	Fleet-English and Welsh vessels over ten metres in length
	Areas-North Sea (ICES area IV), and waters to the south and west of England and Wales (ICES area VII)
	Species-Demersal quota species (Cod, haddock, plaice, sole, anglerfish etc.)
	
		
			 Year Catch (t) Discard (t) 
			 2002 100000 38700 
			 2003 66900 22000 
			 2004 62300 16700 
			 2005 51000 7800 
			 2006 46200 10400 
			 2007 42800 10100 
			 2008 37200 9400 
		
	
	Fleet-Scottish vessels over 10 metres in length
	Areas-North Sea (ICES area IV), and west of Scotland (ICES Division Via)
	Species-Cod, haddock, and whiting
	
		
			 Year Catch (t) Discard (t) 
			 2002 119019 50547 
			 2003 81697 30531 
			 2004 80169 26438 
			 2005 75351 17678 
			 2006 78235 26220 
			 2007 88484 44769 
			 2008 72030 27891 
		
	
	Fleet-UK vessels fishing for pelagic species
	Areas-Atlantic (mackerel, blue whiting); North Sea (herring)
	Species-Mackerel, herring, blue whiting
	
		
			 Year Catch (t) Discard (t) 
			 2002 267851 5983 
			 2003 264559 2594 
			 2004 305747 5147 
			 2005 366423 7633 
			 2006 245768 3870 
			 2007 230974 2000 
			 2008 183306 4938

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 20 July 2009 (WA 279), what steps the Chief Dental Officer has taken to remove the claim in paragraph 5 of his February 2008 letter to strategic health authorities and others (Gateway 9361) that the York review stated that there was "no evidence of any risk to health" from water fluoridation, and to publicise the correction.

Baroness Thornton: We plan to review all our guidance in the light of South Central Strategic Health Authority's experience of conducting a consultation on the fluoridation of Southampton and parts of south-west Hampshire when the outcome of the judicial review of the SHA's decision is known.

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 16 December 2009 (WA 239), (a) what reliance they place on surveys of children's dental health, where parental consent is optional, as a guide to water fluoridation policies; and (b) what assessment they have made of how reliable the surveys have been over the past ten years.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 16 December (WA 239), whether her statement that children whose parents by not consenting to their dental examination exclude them from the statistics are more likely to be from deprived areas with high dental decay takes account of the finding from the latest survey published in October 2009 that dental health among 5-year-olds in the deprived area of Heart of Birmingham has worsened, despite many years of water fluoridation.

Baroness Thornton: In my previous reply, I explained that, because of a significant change in the process of obtaining consent to inspections, direct comparisons should not be made between the results of the 2007-08 survey of child dental health and previous surveys. It is therefore premature to conclude that dental health in the Heart of Birmingham has worsened. In the 2007 Index of Multiple Deprivation, Heart of Birmingham Primary Care Trust was the most deprived of all 152 PCTs. In the 2007-08 survey, the average number of decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) for the Heart of Birmingham PCT was 1.67 compared to a national average for England of 1.11. Manchester PCT, which was the fifth most deprived, but does not have the benefit of fluoridated water, had an average DMFT of 2.39. We need further experience of conducting child dental health surveys where the positive consent of parents/carers to inspections is required before judging if they are as reliable as those in which consent was assumed if no objection to the inspection was received.

Food: Halal Products

Lord Sheikh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that halal products meet food safety requirements.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to prevent retailers from falsely claiming to stock halal products.

Baroness Thornton: Halal food products are subject to the same requirements and official controls as non-Halal foodstuffs and, as such, would be inspected by authorised officers at all stages of the food chain to ensure compliance with food safety and food labelling requirements.
	There is no requirement in United Kingdom law to provide the method of slaughter on food labelling. Therefore, Halal labelling is voluntary. However, there are general legal provisions outlawing false or misleading labelling and if a Halal claim is made then manufacturers must make sure they do not use it misleadingly. Authorised officers are asked to consider action, where appropriate, against food business operators who sell and misdescribe Halal foods, in the same way as they would for any contravention of food law in food premises generally.
	The Government take incidents of food fraud seriously and have put resources in place to help authorised officers effectively target and address illegal activity, including any incidents of this type.

Government Departments: Illegal Immigrants

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many illegal immigrants have been found to be working for the Department of Health and its agencies in each of the past five years.

Baroness Thornton: No illegal immigrants have been found to be working within the department or its agencies in the past five years.

Gurkhas

Lord Selkirk of Douglas: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 3 February (WA 51), whether the one-off payment of £500 million to provide pensions for Gurkhas at Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2010 rates would cover retrospective payments.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 3 February (WA 51), what payments would be covered by the one-off payment of £500 million to provide pensions for Gurkhas at Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2010 rates.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 3 February (WA 51), why there would be a one-off payment of £500 million to provide pensions for Gurkhas at Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2010 rates.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: If pensions were equalised on a year-for-year basis for all those Gurkhas who left service before 1 July 1997 at the same level as the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 1975 (AFPS75), there would be a one-off capital cost of circa £500 million for pension arrears. Detailed costings have not been carried out but the figure of £500 million would relate to the underpayment of immediate pensions.
	There would be some Gurkhas (mainly above the rank of sergeant) who would have served long enough to qualify for an immediate pension under AFPS75. These individuals would have been underpaid in AFPS75 terms from the date that they left service, having reached the immediate pension point. This would mean that their pensions were in arrears, and there would therefore have to be back payments.
	The main beneficiaries would be officers, who generally serve long enough to reach the immediate pension point (16 years from the age of 21) compared with other ranks who usually served for less than the 22 years (from age 18) required to qualify for an immediate pension.
	MoD's policy on Gurkha pension arrangements is based on grounds of principle and fairness; once an individual has left public service it has been the policy of successive Governments not to change retrospectively the terms of their pension arrangements. MoD's position that pensions should not be equalised for those who left service before 1 July 1997 has been successfully upheld in the High Court.

Health: Autism

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve among front-line staff in Government departments the understanding of autism.

Baroness Thornton: The Government are aware that where professionals and frontline staff do understand autism, the impact on services is immense. As part of Rewarding and Fulfilling Lives: The Strategy for Adults with Autism in England, published on 3 March 2010, we have committed to increasing the understanding of autism by improving autism awareness training for all frontline public service staff, in line with the needs of their job, and developing specialist training for staff in health and social care.

Health: Doctors

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the likely impact on the number of doctors available to the National Health Service resulting from the European working time directive.

Baroness Thornton: The great majority of the National Health Service is compliant with the European working time directive (EWTD). Only a small number of services have continued support through agreed derogation to implement their plans effectively by 2011.
	Reducing doctors' hours to 48 or fewer will have a significant impact on their health and well-being. The EWTD is health and safety legislation. There is strong evidence that tired doctors make mistakes and therefore reducing working hours to 48 will improve patient safety.

Health: Doctors

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action is being taken to ensure that hospital rotas for doctors are appropriately staffed.

Baroness Thornton: It is for National Health Service trusts to ensure that their service rotas are appropriately designed and staffed, enabling the delivery of safe patient care at all times.

Health: Doctors

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government what analysis has been undertaken of the impact of the extension of the European Working Time Directive to junior doctors on staffing gaps in hospital rotas.

Baroness Thornton: Strategic health authorities have monitored the impact of the implementation of European Working Time Directive on services. The last return in January 2010 reported a continual improvement to the global compliance position and a steady reduction of the number of rotas reporting compliance difficulties.

Health: Doctors

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of hospital doctor rotas had staffing gaps in the most recent month for which data are available.

Baroness Thornton: The department does not collect this information.

Health: Doctors

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government what analysis has been done to ensure that figures on junior doctor compliance with the European Working Time Directive are accurate.

Baroness Thornton: Doctors in training hours are measured and monitored over a 48-hour week averaged over a six-month period. It is incumbent upon employers to take reasonable steps to ensure medical staff are compliant, while ensuring patient safety, and doctors record their working patterns and rest breaks.

Health: Training

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to reduce the number of training places for allied health professions; and, if so, by what percentage the number will be reduced, on what basis the decision has been made, and why.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a reduction in the number of healthcare training places has been applied across all disciplines; and, if so, what the reductions have been in each discipline and how the reductions have been calculated.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how health economic efficiency data has been used to help assess the workforce required for allied health professions.

Baroness Thornton: The Operating Framework for the National Health Service in England for 2010-11 states that:
	"To promote a responsible approach to education and training, strategic health authorities (SHAs), primary care trusts and employers must review their training plans and align them to support the delivery of local clinical visions and new ways of working, review and where possible reduce the number of postgraduate medical speciality training posts, consistent with long term requirements, review and where possible reduce the number of pre-registration commissions for nursing, allied health professionals and healthcare scientists (HCSs), consistent with long-term requirements and ensure sufficient investment to support the redeployment of staff in new ways of working, especially those moving to new roles and settings, and implement Education Commissioning for Quality and the review of the Multi-professional Education and Training (MPET) review to give education commissioners the metrics and financial levers to incentivise and reward high quality education".
	Figures for SHA plans on training commissions for 2010 are not yet available.

Human Rights Trust Fund

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will contribute to the Council of Europe's Human Rights Trust Fund; and whether they will participate in its projects.

Lord Bach: While the Government support the objectives of the Human Rights Trust Fund, the minimum initial contribution to the fund is £250,000. As I discussed with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe when I met him in January, the Government are not at this time in a position to commit to such a contribution in addition to their contributions to the Council of Europe.

Immigration

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government which countries they are not deporting foreign nationals to; and how many foreign nationals from those countries are held in detention centres or prisons.

Lord West of Spithead: We announced in a Written Ministerial Statement on 29 October 2009 that we are looking to normalise our returns policy to Zimbabwe progressively as and when the political situation develops.
	According to latest HM Prison Service figures http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/assets/documents/100049D8population_bulletin_monthly_december_ 2009.pdf as at 18 December 2009, there were 209 Zimbabwean nationals in prisons including those in the immigration removal centres Dover, Haslar and Lindholme. The 209 includes those held on remand, serving custodial sentences or held under the Immigration Act 1971.

Immigration

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many British citizens have been refused entry to the United States in each of the past five years.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not keep statistics on how many British citizens have been refused entry to the US or other countries.

Israel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel concerning the occupation of the area of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: We fully support the statement by the EU High Representative issued on 26 February which said:
	"The High Representative regards the recent decision by the Government of Israel to add sites in Hebron and Bethlehem to the list of Israeli national heritage sites as detrimental to attempts to relaunch peace negotiations. The European Union calls on Israel to refrain from provocative acts. The European Union recognises the importance of these religious sites to all three Abrahamic faiths and supports the principle of access for all".

Israel: Ariel College

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel concerning the recent upgrading of Ariel College to university status.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: We have made no specific representations on this issue, but the UK's position is clear: settlements are illegal and prejudge peace talks. We have repeatedly stressed this to Israeli Ministers from Prime Minister Netanyahu down.

Justice: Arrest Warrants

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 22 February (WA 233-4), whether they will publish any documents exchanged or notes of discussions between officials and Ministers and their Israeli, United States and European Union counterparts about the issues arising from the United Kingdom's arrest warrant procedure in cases where there is universal jurisdiction; and, if not, whether they will publish the dates of such discussions or documents and a summary of their contents.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: It is not usual practice to make public the details of confidential ministerial or official exchanges with our international partners. As part of our ongoing dialogue with international partners, we have discussed the impact of the application of the UK's arrest warrant procedure in cases where there is universal jurisdiction. The Government are both committed to the principles of universal jurisdiction and determined to ensure that the UK can engage fully with those involved in conflict in order to assist in bring those conflicts to an end.

Justice: Arrest Warrants

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 22 February (WA 233-4), whether discussions have taken place at ministerial level with the United States on the issues arising from the United Kingdom's arrest warrant procedure.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: No discussions have taken place at Ministerial level with the United States on the issues arising from the UK's arrest warrant procedure since 13 December 2009.

Kosovo

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish a copy of the report by Professor Mark Macklin of Aberystwyth University on the presence of heavy metals in the hair samples taken from residents and in the environment and homes of the Roma in Mitrovica, Kosovo, which was co-funded by the British embassy in Pristina; and whether they will place a copy in the Library of the House.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: Aberystwyth University will be publishing Professor Macklin's report in the middle of March. There is a commitment under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding between our embassy in Pristina and Aberystwyth University that the results of the tests will be completely transparent and available to the public. Once published, a copy of the report will be placed in the Library of the House.

Muslim Communities: Burials

Lord Sheikh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what provisions are in place to ensure that Muslim communities are able to bury their deceased at weekends.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Muslim communities are able to bury their deceased immediately after death.

Lord Bach: Guidance published in 2006 encouraged burial ground managers to explore the local demand for out-of-hours working, especially where required for religious reasons, and to ensure that every effort was made to deal with individual applications. When deaths need to be reported to coroners-because the cause of death is violent, unnatural or of unknown cause-similar efforts are made to ensure, wherever possible, that the body of the person who has died is released as promptly as possible for burial.

National Insurance

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord McKenzie of Luton on 10 February (WA 159), in what circumstances national insurance numbers that have been issued to foreign nationals who later leave the United Kingdom are withdrawn.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The national insurance number is an administrative reference number used by the Department for Work and Pensions and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs for benefits and national insurance contribution purposes. A national insurance number does not in isolation confer any rights to benefits or demonstrate entitlement to work.
	The Department for Work and Pensions does not withdraw national insurance numbers once they have been allocated except in very limited circumstances. This is because a national insurance number, even if only used for a limited period, links an individual to their national insurance contributions record which may be relevant in any future claim to benefits or state pension. The limited circumstances in which a national insurance number would be withdrawn are (a) as a result of an administrative error such as where a duplicate number has been issued, or (b) where, as a result of checks made, there is no evidence of activity on the national insurance number in the six months following allocation. Such actions, where appropriate, would be applied to any national insurance number allocated and are not specific to foreign nationals who have left the United Kingdom.

NHS Redress Act 2006

Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in the implementation of the NHS Redress Act 2006.

Baroness Thornton: The NHS Redress Act 2006 is a piece of framework legislation for the handling of financial compensation for cases of low monetary value. It will need to be enacted through secondary legislation, and putting this legislation in place will require considerable stakeholder involvement in discussing the detail around the working of any scheme.
	The department considered it more important to embed the general principles of wider redress across the National Health Service by initially reforming the NHS and adult social care complaints arrangements, rather than focusing on financial redress only for those cases which are of low monetary value and which satisfy set principles in tort law. Complaints reform came into effect in April 2009.
	Lord Justice Jackson recommended in his Review of Civil Litigation Costs the drawing up of regulations to implement the NHS Redress Act. The Government are considering this recommendation.

NHS: Foundation Trusts

Lord Burnett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total paid to management and other business consultants in the bid by Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust to become a foundation trust; which firms were involved; how much was paid to each; and on what dates.

Baroness Thornton: The information requested is a matter for the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust. We have written to Sir Stephen Moss, Chair of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, informing him of the noble Lord's question. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

NHS: Specialised Services

Earl Howe: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether proposals in the East Midlands and south-east regions of the National Health Service to subsume Specialised Commissioning Groups (SCGs) within Commercial Support Units are consistent with the Carter report's view that SCGs should be the sole responsible commissioning bodies above primary care trust level for the purpose of commissioning specialised services, other than those services commissioned at national level.

Baroness Thornton: Commercial Support Units (CSUs) are being set up to improve commercial capability within the National Health Service. CSUs will provide dedicated commercial support to NHS healthcare providers and commissioners to help them improve their skills, gain better value from procurement and respond more effectively to the commercial challenges of operating in today's NHS.
	The proposals being developed by the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and East Midlands SHA are designed to strengthen their commercial capability. In developing their proposals, both SHAs are confident that they will be fully compliant with the recommendations in the Carter report.
	Both SHAs believe that the opportunity afforded to specialised commissioning by greater integration with other collaborative functions such as networks and commercial support functions will lead to a greater ability for the SCG to discharge its commissioning responsibilities and to ensure that all the world-class commissioning competencies can be fully demonstrated. Regardless of the role that CSUs will play in supporting commissioning, SCGs will continue to be the responsible bodies for specialised commissioning regionally.
	The Government remain committed to ensuring effective commissioning of specialised services and over the coming months we will be monitoring how these new arrangements are working.

Northern Ireland: Car Bombs

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there was security at Newry courthouse on 22 February; whether any suspected terrorists breached the security precautions; and whether the security arrangements at the courthouse have since been reviewed or increased.

Lord Bach: Security measures were in place at Newry courthouse on 22 February. A police investigation is ongoing in relation to this incident.
	The perimeter of Newry courthouse was not breached prior to the bomb explosion and security arrangements such as CCTV were operating. Security arrangements have been assessed, the external perimeter secured and the courthouse restored full operational services from 2 March 2010.

Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what communication the Northern Ireland Office had with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission during January 2010; and whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of any correspondence between them.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: All ministerial and official letters between the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) in January 2010 will be placed in the Library of the House.
	These are:
	letter dated 2 January 2010 from Paul Goggins to the Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) in relation to concerns about taking forward plans for the building of a new women's prison and budgetary provision in respect of women offenders;letter dated 6 January 2010 from Paul Goggins to the Chief Commissioner of the NIHRC responding to an invitation to attend a seminar on human trafficking in Northern Ireland; letter dated 20 January 2010 from the Permanent Secretary of the NIO to the Chief Commissioner of the NIHRC regarding the Chief Commissioner's annual appraisal process; andletter dated 22 January 2010 from Paul Goggins to the Chief Executive of the NIHRC regarding the concluding observations of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Oyster Farming: Licences

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government who is responsible for ensuring that an environmental impact assessment is obtained before a licence can be granted for the cultivation of pacific oysters on underwater trestles in a special area of conservation at Tremerlin Cove, in the Helford River, Cornwall; whether such a licence is required before such a development can take place; and how many licences for that purpose have been granted in that area in the last ten years.

Lord Davies of Oldham: In addition to any permission needed from the landowner, the placement of trestles for oyster cultivation in Tremerlin Cove in the Helford River would need the consent of Natural England, if the trestles were to be situated in that area of the cove notified as a site of special scientific interest. Such consent would be needed under the provisions of Section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. NE has not granted any such consent in the past 10 years, but has taken action to ensure the removal of trestles (for the cultivation of oysters) which were placed within the SSSI without consent.
	The Marine and Fisheries Agency (MFA) also exercises controls which may apply to works associated with shellfish cultivation. The MFA's consent is required, pursuant to Section 34 of the Coast Protection Act 1949 (CPA), for the deposit of objects or materials on any part of the seashore within the SAC lying below mean high water springs and the removal of objects or materials on any part of the seashore lying below mean low water springs, if the operation causes or is likely to result in obstruction or danger to navigation. Section 35 of the CPA contains exceptions to these requirements. The MFA has not granted any consent for the placement of trestles at Tremerlin Cove in the past 10 years. It is currently considering an application under the CPA for the placement of sub-tidal cages in a different area of the river.
	It is for the consenting authority to consider whether an environmental impact assessment (EIA) is required for any development proposal, under domestic legislation implementing the EIA directive, where that legislation is applicable. It is also for the consenting authority to consider whether to undertake any appropriate assessment required under the Conservation (Natural Habitats &c) Regulations 1994 (as amended), which implement the EU Habitats Directive in Great Britain.

Palestine

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what conclusions they draw from the recent closure by the Palestinian Authority of the Jerusalem Centre for Photography in Jenin, the Zakat Hospital in Tulkarem, the Prosthesis Factory in Qalqilia, the Islamic Relief for Care of Orphans in Tubas and Salfeit, the Nafha Society for Defence of Prisoners and Human Rights in Naablus, the School for Deaf Children in Ramullah, the Christian Wafa Charity Society in Bethlehem, and the Al-Aqsa School for Orphans in Hebron; whether they are making representations to the Palestinian Authority, to Israel as the occupying power, and to the Government of the United States on these matters; and what have been the consequences of the closures for Palestinian employment.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: We are not aware of such recent closures. Since the take-over of Gaza by Hamas in 2007, there have been a number of closures of politically affiliated civil society organisations in both Gaza and the West Bank. We are concerned where such closures have a direct impact on services provided to vulnerable members of the community and no alternative is provided. We continue to encourage Palestinian national reconciliation on terms acceptable to the international community.

Palestine

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received evidence that teachers and other state employees have been dismissed by the Palestinian Authority because of suspicions provided by the General Intelligence Agency and the Preventive Security Force.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: We are aware that some state employees have been dismissed by the Palestinian Authority following the take-over of Gaza by Hamas. Some of these cases are the subject of ongoing legal proceedings in the Palestinian courts.

Palestine

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received evidence of the use of excessive force when the Palestinian Authority recently closed many charitable and voluntary organisations in the West Bank; what was the consequent damage to property and premises; and what is to happen to the assets of closed organisations.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: We have not received any evidence of excessive force used by the Palestinian Authority towards non-governmental organisations in the West Bank.

Passports

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there will be a co-ordinated European Union demarche to the government of Israel concerning the six British, five Irish, one French and one German passports alleged to have been stolen, forged and otherwise abused in relation to Dubai in January.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The UK fully supports the EU statement, issued on 20 January, which strongly condemns the use of EU member states' passports and credit cards acquired through the theft of EU citizens' identities. We welcome the investigation by the Dubai authorities and call on all countries to cooperate with it. We, along with the other countries concerned, are carrying out full investigations into the fraudulent use of their passports.

Primary Care Trusts: Finance

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money was allocated to each primary care trust in Greater Manchester for carers' breaks in the financial year 2008-09; and how much each primary care trust spent from this allocation on carers' breaks.

Baroness Thornton: The National Carers Strategy, Carers at the Heart of 21st Century Families and Communities, identified the funding that was available within primary care trust (PCT) baselines to improve support for carers. It announced that £150 million would be given to PCTs to provide carers' breaks (£50 million in 2009-10 and £100 million in 2010-11). Although this is new money, it is part of PCT baseline allocations and PCTs have not been advised of individual sums for carers' breaks. It is for PCTs to decide their priorities for investment locally, taking into account their local circumstances and priorities as set out in the National Health Service operating framework.
	Department directors of NHS Performance and Adult Social Care Performance have written to strategic health authorities to identify where PCTs have agreed with their local authority to prioritise carers' support for the current year, and those that are likely to prioritise it for the next year. This information will help ensure that the department has a rounded picture when considering the priority afforded to carers in future planning rounds. The department has ensured that the NHS operating framework for 2010-11 brings out the role carers can make as expert partners in care, as well as the need to provide support for them. This includes the provision of carers' breaks.

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many foreign national prisoners are currently serving sentences in United Kingdom prisons.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average length of sentence for foreign national prisoners currently serving sentences in United Kingdom prisons.

Lord Bach: At the end of June 2009 there were 7,502 foreign national prisoners (FNPs) serving sentences in all prison establishments in England and Wales.
	The following table gives the average sentence length by sentence length band for all FNPs serving determinate sentences within prison establishments in England and Wales as at the end of June 2009:
	
		
			 Sentence length bands Average length in months 
			 Up to and including 6 months 4 
			 Over 6 months and less than 12 months 9 
			 12 months and less than 4 years 25 
			 4 years and less than life 95 
			 All determinate sentences 55 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Private Water Supplies Regulations 2009

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government with regard to Schedule 4 to the Private Water Supplies Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/3103), which local authorities are expected to have to register (a) more than 1,000, (b) 500 to 1,000, (c) 201 to 500, and (d) 101 to 200 private supplies of water.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Historical summary information provided to the Drinking Water Inspectorate by local authorities in relation to their duties under the Private Water Supply Regulations 1991 was published in July 2009 in Drinking Water 2008, the inspectorate's annual report. This summary information is the best available indication at the present time of the number of private supplies in England that are expected to fall within the scope of the Schedule 4 records of the Private Supply Regulations 2009.
	
		
			 Number of private water supplies Number of local authorities 
			 0 9 
			 <100 113 
			 101-200 15 
			 201-500 17 
			 501-1000 12 
			 >1000 2 
			 Total 159* 
		
	
	* 168 out of 324 local authorities in England provided data.

Private Water Supplies Regulations 2009

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government with regard to the Private Water Supplies Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/3103), whether the regulations cover the constituents of slug pellets, for instance metaldehydes.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Private Water Supplies Regulations transpose into national law European drinking water standards laid down in the 1998 Drinking Water Directive. This includes two pesticide standards: individual and total pesticides. Metaldehyde is the active ingredient in some of the products sold as slug pellets therefore it falls within the scope of Schedule 2 Part 2 Audit Monitoring.

Private Water Supplies Regulations 2009

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government with regard to Schedule 2 to the Private Water Supplies Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/3103), how many private sources of water supply there are of (a) more than 16,000, (b) 10,000 to 15,999, and (c) 6,000 to 9999 cubic metres a day.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Historical summary information provided to the Drinking Water Inspectorate by local authorities in England in relation to their duties under the Private Water Supplies Regulations 1991 was published in July 2009 in Drinking Water 2008, the inspectorate's annual report. This summary information is the best available indication at the present time of the number of private supplies that are expected to fall within the scope of the Schedule 4 records of the Private Water Supplies Regulations 2009.
	
		
			 Local authority Number of supplies supplying >1000m per day 
			 Durham County Council 1 
			 West Devon Borough Council 2 
			 South Bucks District Council 2 
			 Dover District Council 4 
			 Total 9* 
		
	
	* There are 20 such supplies in Wales

Rwanda

Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2 February (WA 30-1) stating that Rwanda's bid to join the Commonwealth had been discussed publicly, whether any of those discussions took place in either House of Parliament.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: UK support for Rwanda's accession has been discussed in Parliament, including by former Foreign and Commonwealth Minister Meg Munn on 20 March 2008. My previous Answers to the noble Lord have stated that it is not the practice to ratify decisions taken unanimously by the Commonwealth Heads of Government in national parliaments, including that of the UK.

UN: Treaties

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Dublin Statement on the process of strengthening the United Nations treaty body system; and whether they will take steps to implement its proposals.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The Government welcome the Dublin Statement and commend the initiative of those current and former members of treaty bodies for having produced it. We have long recognised that the treaty body system would profit from strengthening to render it more efficient and effective. This has become more important as the work of the treaty bodies has grown with new instruments and increased ratifications. We are looking at how to follow up on this valuable initiative and have discussed it with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights emphasising our support for the continued work of the treaty bodies and their independence.

Waterways: Brentford Lock

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether an application for a Transport and Works order must be made and approved before obstructions to public rights of navigation to the entrance to Brentford Lock are built.

Lord Adonis: An order under the Transport and Works Act (TWA) can in certain circumstances authorise works which would interfere with public navigation rights, but the obtaining of a TWA order is not a compulsory requirement. A TWA order cannot be made where its primary object could be achieved by an order under the Harbours Act.
	The main benefit of obtaining a TWA order for such works is that it provides a defence of statutory authority against an action for nuisance arising from the interference with the common law right of navigation. It is, however, entirely a matter for the person proposing to carry out such works to decide whether they require the protection that a TWA order can give them.

Women: Peace and Security

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government how, as part of the current review of the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, they will support women's involvement in peacebuilding efforts and political participation, as required by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The UK Government recognise the importance of women's political participation and their involvement in peacebuilding efforts. We currently support work in a number of conflict-affected states to build women's political empowerment and use our position at the UN to influence the work of the Peacebuilding Support Office to ensure that women's roles are considered.
	As part of the review of our national action plan, we are considering how best to progress work in these areas. We have sought the views of civil society and are planning to hold further discussion, including on these issues as part of the process. However, as the review is not yet complete, we are currently unable to provide details of our future plans to support these two areas.